A few weeks ago, Eric and I took my dad to Drink, a very trendy Boston bar where the mixologists create libations based on your desired flavor profile. There's no menu available, so they ask what kind of liquor you like or if there's a specific cocktail you're fond of. It's also common for patrons to tell the bartender what mood they're in... or what mood they'd like to be in. See... totally trendy. But, you know what, they always nail the drinks. Like, spot on. You end up leaving with a new respect for the craft of mixing cocktails.

I think it was a fun experience for my father, who enjoys scotch and beer and wine, but hasn't really dabbled with cocktails. With a little guidance from us during our visits home, he's starting to learn a bit more about creating them. He especially likes drinks with citrus and bourbon. On our night out, we had the bartenders whip up versions of the Brown Derby (bourbon, grapefruit, honey syrup) and with each sip, his eyes lit up. We sent him home with a few recipes... now he has to try them on his own.

Eric and I have been working on a lot of grapefruit cocktails (we're a little obsessed actually). I've done bourbon, gin, vodka, tequila... all of them work in their own way. This is my take on the Greyhound. I've made a few modifications from the original recipe. I've seen many that call for vodka over gin and I just prefer the herbaceousness gin lends to a citrus cocktail. To create depth, I've added in a few dashes of bitters, which brings in some spice, and a squeeze of lime to give it a zip. These go down rather easily, which is never a bad thing for a cocktail. Just beware.

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The Greyhound

makes 1 drink

Ingredients

4 oz fresh grapefruit juice

2 oz gin

.5 oz simple syrup

Angostura bitters

1 lime wedge

Ice

Directions

1. Pour the grapefruit juice, gin, simple syrup and 2 dashes of bitters into a cocktail shaker with three ice cubes. Squeeze in the lime juice. Shake until chilled, about 10 seconds.